Tiger Woods in spotlight at Hoylake

July 13, 2014. Tiger Woods’ return to the British Open is going to be biggest event this season as he makes a comeback for the first time since he won his third British Open title in 2006. More so because he has gone nearly a year without bagging a win.

Associated Press reports Woods eight years ago had played on a links that was baked out and brown from weeks of sunshine. “The course was so firm and fast that he famously hit driver only once in 72 holes on his way to a two-shot victory over Chris DiMarco.”

Woods is returning back from his recent surgery to relieve a nerve impingement. Although it’s not his first tournament since he came back into the game, Quicken Loans at Congressional was his own charity event. Having missed the cut there, the focus on his surgery, game and form are back grabbing headlines.

He has arrived at Hoylake five ahead of the Championship and was welcomed by Andy Cross, who was the Hoylake captain in 2006 and who had handed him his third Claret Jug at the awards ceremony. Later he walked a few fairways with Peter Dawson of the R&A.

Woods was seen practising at Hoylake where top-ranked Adam Scott and Jason Day also were also practicing. He got off to a slow start this year with recurring back pain that eventually led to surgery. He has had a chance to win on Sunday in the last two British Opens. He tied for third at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 2012, though he took himself out of contention early in the final round.

The Telegraph UK said that “Woods is barely recognisable from the golfer that last visited Hoylake and stormed to victory.”

Woods is playing only the final two majors this year, both on courses where he previously won – Hoylake in 2006 and Valhalla for the PGA Championship in 2000.